wolfe10

Flush and fill with one or the other-- the two chemistries are different. I favor the new OAT-based coolants, as they have twice the life and do not require testing and adding SCA's. Remember, on a linered engine like your Cummins C, the proper coolant chemistry is REQUIRED to keep cylinder walls from eroding. BTW, if you go with an OAT-based coolant, the filter you use is a "blank". A blank has zero units SCA, but is a filter.

Sorry, are you towing an EXPLORER or ESCAPE-- not familiar with a Ford Explore.

Carlon, I know that the scales used by RVSEF and many state truck enforcement divisions cost in the thousands of dollars-- just not practical. Do you vary the weights between trips enough to warrant a reweigh? Most weight "when loaded as you travel" including full fuel and whatever level you normally carry in the other tanks. Use the heavier wheel position on each axle to access your tire manufacturer's inflation table for your tires. The table gives you the MINIMUM PSI for that load. Add a 5 PSI safety cushion to account for that "extra trip to Walmart" and you should be good to go.

If you are asking about relative performance and perhaps MPG, first question is what are relative weights of the two coaches? Clearly there are a lot more Cummins ISL's in motorhomes than Maxxforce 10's, so service MAY be an issue with the Maxxforce (Navistar).

Done

If the line up the back (open to the outside via the side and roof vents) is freezing, vs a blockage inside the refrigerator, look carefully at the line. Many ice maker lines have an electric heat "sheath" around them to minimize just such an occurrence. If not, check with Dometic for such a device. And, if the problem is in the refrigerator itself, start defrosting the freezer section. Sometimes the feed tube between the incoming line and ice cube tray becomes frozen.

Since the fan does not even come on, and that is the first step in the "light the furnace" process, my first suspect is an electrical issue. Start by checking that all connections are tight. Remember, when cold, metal SHRINKS and can make a marginal connection inoperative. So, connections at thermostat and at furnace (outside access door). If that does not do it, unplug the connection on the furnace PC board (outside access door) and clean with DeOxit or other good electrical cleaner.

The choice of whether generator or shore power is "favored" is up to the coach maker. I have occasionally seen shore power the favored source-- whether "marching to the beat of a different drummer" or just mis-wired at the factory I have no idea. But, yes, generator is much more common as the "favored" source.

By "be careful" he means shore power disconnected, generator OFF and inverter (if equipped) OFF. 120 VAC is nothing to play with!

Archambeault, Please tell us what coach/chassis you have. But clearly a battery voltage issue (bad battery, bad alternator, bad connection) could both cause "unusual" reactions from electrical components and cause and electronically controlled engine to not run/run poorly. So, I would start by checking the batteries and electrical connections. Then, put a voltmeter on it at the dash and see what you get when the symptoms occur.

Yes, please look up caster and toe to see what they set it to. Because changing caster on the F53 is time consuming, many leave it to the low end of specs. Better tracking and wheel return to center with caster set to the high end of specs with right side 1/2 degree or so more than left to account for road crown.

Gary, Yes, a 50 amp ATS is a 50 amp ATS. Having only had one fail 5 years ago in the many years we have been RV'ing, I am not up on the "best" presently on the market. Hopefully others with more recent experience will chime in. Brett

Assume you have a Ford F53 chassis. If you would, look up where they set caster and toe-in when they did the FEA. And, when you say "set tire air pressure to Winnebago figures" that ASSUMES each axle loaded to its GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating). That may be very different than your actual weights. Best to load coach as you go down the road and weight it. Then go to Goodyear's inflation tables to determine their recommended PSI for your actual load. If you have actual weights, please post that as well-- always good to compare front axle GAWR with actual weight.

The annual Towables for 2013 (four wheels down) towing guide is available online as well as in the January print edition of Family Motor Coaching magazine. Member or subscriber login is required to access the online article.

Look in your owners manual to get Spartan chassis name or Spartan Vin number and we can go from there. Saying Spartan without specifying exactly what chassis is like saying you have a Ford and want advice without specifying whether you have a Fiesta or Mustang.

Yes. I checked with Dianne. She leaves the turntable in and turning on convection as well as microwave unless the pan is too large to turn. Brett

Have you contacted HWH? HWH 800 321-3494, 563 724-3396. HWH Christmas Schedule This is the tentative schedule for HWH Corporation over the Holidays. December 24th - Closed December 25th - Closed December 26th - Open - Limited Staff (Techs will be taking calls from 8am-4:30pm CST) December 27th - Open - Limited Staff (Techs will be taking calls from 8am-4:30pm CST) December 28th - Open - Limited Staff (Techs will be taking calls from 8am-4:30pm CST) December 31st - Closed January 1st - Closed January 2nd - All normal business resumes Brett

Have you contacted HWH? HWH 800 321-3494, 563 724-3396. I have no idea what their holiday schedule is. Brett

Disclaimer-- Dianne is the chef in the family. This is her advice, NOT mine-- thank goodness. I really like Corning ware for roasts and casseroles, and silicone bake-ware for things like cakes, bread, and muffins (usually the 6-muffin size fits the turntable). I insulate the corning ware dish and lid in a towel for traveling and layer the square and round silicone bake-ware between other pots and pans to minimize shifting and rattles when we drive. Silicone, because of its flexibility, isn't much good for roasting because the hot liquid has a tendency to splash when you remove the roast from the oven. When I remove a cake or pie, I remove the baking rack with the pan in place and let it cool before attempting to move the silicone baking dish. Once tour baked goods are ready to turn out of the pan, they have usually set up enough that they don't fall apart. I also have a full set of "nesting cookware" by Cuisinart that is stainless steel with copper and aluminum sandwich bottoms. Handles are removable so the pots all fit inside one another for maximum space utilization. We bought these for our sailboat initially and have used them in both our boat and motorhome ever since. But they are expensive. I saw a set at William and Sonoma that looked identical. Metal is fine in a convection microwave if you are using convection baking, slow cook, or even low mix baking. NEVER use metal of any kind for microwave or high mix roast settings. Hope this helps. Dianne

Tony, Were it me, I would locate the two wires going to the Allison ECM (the 12 VDC positives). Trace them back to the very last connection before the ECM. Put a voltmeter on it and monitor it. See if power drops below 12 VDC when the ECM "has an issue".

The location of the ECM is up to your chassis maker. It could be bolted to the electronic shift pad, or anywhere in the coach. If another Dynasty owner does not chime in, I would call Monaco Corp. You will have two 12 volt positive wires to the ECM, one hot all the time for memory and the other hot from the ignition circuit (likely from a solenoid controlled (turned on/off) by the ignition switch/key. Do other accessories that only work with the ignition on show the same failures/same timing? Things like the dash HVAC fan? If so, suspect the ignition solenoid or switch. Should not have anything to do with the alternator assuming you have 12+ VDC at the chassis batteries, as even with no charging, they provide a good supply of power to the ECM. Brett

I would look at the unit on the engine that pulls on the throttle.

Guys (and Gals), A quick call on Monday to FMCA will answer all the questions. FMCA 800 543-3622

What brand Cruise Control do you have? Many of the air cruise controls from that era such as the Bendix unit are obsolete and there are no parts available. Many of us with these old units have gone to the King Control electronic cruise controls. http://www.cruisecontrolking.com/ Other than verifying that your brake switch is working properly, we need to know what unit you have to begin troubleshooting.